NYC BLOWS............I KNOW CUZ IM ALREADY HERE.

please tell me why NYC blows! im planning on moving out there soon? i need to hear all the stories before i make this life changing decision....hahaha thanks

hmmm thats sounds pretty descriptive!

thanks guys. my fault for not specifying 'helpful' comments.

i worked at foxandfowle for three months...make them place you in architecture, not planning...its a hellhole.

i will side w/ metamechanic on this one...break out your trendy clothes, your frown, your running shoes, and be prepared to look at your feet on your way into work...and no crying when someone bumps you in the street and calls you an asshole for not getting out of their way.....aghh and the homeless they are always entertaining

oh sorry i have no experience in either of the firms nor do i know anyone

not without .....Why is the planning department a hell hole?

i always thought Fox and Fowle sounded like the name of an English tavern or inn.

These desriptions of New York are laughable. Where so you guys hang out, Midtown? I've been here 2 years and I have never had the impression of asshole new yorkers that everyone describes. new york is amazing, you would be crazy not to come here.

as for the actual question, i have no input.

I agree with Blue202. When I lived in NYC, the vast majority of the people I knew were pretty mellow, friendly, and down-to-earth. Of the few real jackasses I encountered, most tended to be either the inconsiderate ghetto trash you'll find in any big city, or young poseurs who recenty moved out of their parents' basements in Long Island and who suddenly think their shit no longer stinks because they now have a 212 area code.

If you're in NYC and find yourself surrounded by assholes, you either need to find new people to surround yourself with, or consider the possibility that the problem may be you.

lol...living in gin...I think you hit it right on the nail...As a NYC resident ,born and raised, most jerks are inconsiderate retards who think highly of themslves. They are full of hot air. Fongcey, don't fret...you'll do fine..Have you looked for apts.?

but yeah, you probably won't know anybody when you're walking down the street and you probably won't know your neighbors. This isn't Anytown, USA... there's a lot of people here. I think perhaps you are mistaking the fact that you just don't know anybody for unfriendliness.

what's equally as scary is how small this town can be at times..
especially the architecture community.

i've lived here three and a half years and have yet to bump into
anyone walking down the street. almost had a biker completely
take me out..but that was sort of my fault.

don't know anything about the two firms above though..

two bosses with two different voices that dont communicate and dont have a clue what to do. nor did i. near panic attacks every other day. at first it sounded compelling to work at a larger scale and implement green strategies...turned into a nightmare of ugly diagrams, bad ideas, and horrible management. some nice people work there, though...

oh, and about nyc...its exhilerating, easy, and the epitome of what so many cities try to be: and, its dirty, loud, expensive and sometimes inconceivably crowded and mundane...but after awhile, it seems like you couldnt live anywhere else. then youre fucked. good luck!

true on the smallness of the architecture community.

NYC itself seems like an incredibly small town at times as well. Once you settle into a daily routine, you start to see the same people on the subway, you begin you recognize other people who work near your office, and the guy behind the counter at the deli starts to remember how you like your roast beef sandwich.

After a few months of living in NYC and being fed up with all the filth and noise, you'll take a vacation or visit relatives in another city, and find yourself going into a panic attack because you can't find a diner that's open at 3 AM. At that point you'll realize that you can't live anywhere else, and in my opinion, that's when you've earned the right to call yourself a New Yorker.

Bah-humbug.

New Yorkers me la pelan.

Chicago rules.

i don't know about that... i'm from the south and i've found people are just as nice here. it's just more sugar coated in the south, and perhaps fake, but there are plenty of genuinely nice people in nyc. sure, you don't always apologize when you bump into someone on the sidewalk, but that's just part of existing in a restricted space with so many other people.

all that said, nyc is not for everyone. you have to really want to be here; you don't just wake up one day and decide to move here.

and yes - arch community here is a very small world, and events are so scene-y sometimes.